Daily Republican., 1887-03-16
THE TIN BRIDGE DISASTER.

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Tho Loss OF Life Not 20 Great ~ 1T First
Reported--1he Surgeons Confidens
That All tho Injured Will Recover
Family CONSTRUCTION OF the Bridge.
BoaToN, March 16-All night long
o force Of lsborefs was engaged In clear
ing up the debris OF the wrecked cars
ut the sceIe OF the bridge disaster. It
was slow work and but little head way
was made, yet the men worked hard,
and when the light of morning was
suffi cient for the continuance OF the
work without the means of artificial
light the work progressed M ore rapidly.
An engine pulled the for y ard car from
the emban kment TO the track, where IL
remains, one end resting upon the
ground, while the forward trucks are
stall attached.
Strewn along tho southern embank.
ment are quantities Of car seats, rail.
inaB, iron bracee, window frames and
doors, which had been gathered from
the debris, and which were loaded upon
fat cars this morning and brought to
the city. The ropes were stretched
around the scene, and all persons who
were not actively engaged In clearing
the wreck. wele forced TO keep outside
the lines.
At an early hour this morning large
force WAS put At work In taking the
broken bridge apart The baggage car
and one Of the rear cars OF the train
had been completely demolished, and
all that marks the spot where these
| two cars were, at the base Of the EN-
ban kment, 10 . heap of kindlipe wood i,
some OF which has the appearance OF
having been through o grain hopper
and bolted, 30 fine WAS the wood
crushed.
The wreck is q more appslling sight
than the recent ruiuo At White River
Junction and Deerfield, and this points
strongly TO the fact that the train was
running at tpsed OF fully twenty Ave
miles an hour. Tho forward cars, which
lie on the enbankment and in the road.
way, remain In the came positions a.
WHEN they fell. There were undoubtedly y
nine cars In the train, as the tin tops Of
nine are 10 be found.
Several Of the stoves OF the cars have
been removed. and In every case the
iron rods which serve to hold them In
position have been found 10 be secure,
while not o stove door WAS burst open,
although one stove was badly broken.
Every body who visited the scene car.
r!ed away portions Of the wrsckaEe ~
mementoeg.
There was hearing before the Rail.
road Com miss!oDers on the subject OF
the accident at Rosindale this after
noon. The engineer and one of the
conductors OF the Ill fated train were
examined, but nothing important was
ielicited.
4 81 L. = -
Technology, In an interview says: 81
was mt the scene Of the accident all day
yesterday, together with . number OF
members Of the Massachusetts Scientific
Society and InGtitute students, exam.
lining the bridge, or rather the pieces
thereof, and don't know the exact cAuse
OF the accident. l would not dare to
| venture an opinion. l can only say
that have examined pieces OF the iron
and have an idea that some were defec
tive"
Prof. Swain, also OF the Institute
who mnde an examination of the
wrecked bridge, discovered Whist ht
Iconsiders TO have been the cause of the
accident. He thinks there were seviou,
defects In some portions OF the bridge
not Gully in the material used, but Ii
tho manner Of construction.
Superintendent Davis, In an inter
view this morning, said: 1.-THE bridg,
was built of iron eleven years ago, and
was rs fully capable OF sustaining any
. weight that has been put upon IL sin
that time as any fridge on the road
The bridge inspector OF the road haI
had no reason whatever TO suspect o.
believe that there WAS any deIect o.
weakness In any part OF the bridge"
The reAl cause OF the awful acoiden
'ls said to have been discovered thi
morning At the lower end of the hang
T ers which support the bridge ia a cast
' Iron boz, enclosing clutch which re
1 sembles two fingers of hand drawn NJ
TO half circle. Three clutches ar
about 215 inches wide and X inche
thick. over these iron fingers is
c round steel pincher about IL inche
long and inches in diameter. One o
the fingers was completely rotted ava,
hy rust and the other rRsted about hal
through. Thus the whole strain wa
thrown on one of those weakened iro
hn2ers, aud 1t was but natural const
" iquence that when the engine passe
II this finger should break, and one OF II
suppor,s being gone, the whole bridg
had to fall.
inc Injured at the Massachusett
ID General Hospital are reported by th
d diphysiolans to day as being In q com
: = ortaole condition. The surgeons ar
,e nhdent that all will recover. OWN
to duplication and lnisspelline of name
it is now believed that the reports of th
number of killed have been conside
ably overestimated. Up to noon to- ds
Dr. Draper had signed twenty ON
, II VnaAth tau o..
r. making the entire death total up
n noon twenty four.
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